Biographies help readers to explore new worlds

Everyone has heard the old expression, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Of all our non-fiction areas, biography is one of the most popular.

Biographies, and autobiographies, are of course written with varying degrees of scholarship; as are all books, but the lives of others rarely fail to arouse our curiosity. The great lesson of biography is to show what man can be and do at his best. A noble life put fairly on record acts like an inspiration to others. (Samuel Smiles, a 19th century British journalist, is best known today as the writer of books extolling virtues of self help)

I won't write my autobiography because I never had an affair with Frank Sinatra, and if I had had, I wouldn't tell anyone. (Celia Johnson, British actress, sister-in-law to Ian Fleming). The new titles below cover a diverse range of celebrated individuals:

Looking for Lincoln: the making of an American Icon, by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt, & Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. In honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, an extensively researched, lavishly illustrated consideration of the myths, memories, and questions that gathered around our most beloved,-and our most enigmatic, president in the years between his assassination and the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in 1922. A sequel to the enormously successful Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography, This volume picks up where the previous book left off, examining how our sixteenth president's legend came into being. Looking for Lincoln will deeply enhance our understanding of the statesman and his legacy, at a moment when the timeless example of his leadership is more crucial than ever.

Dewey: the Small-town library Cat who touched the World, by Vicki Myron, is the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa. His tale starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the library. For the next 19 years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, and above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.

Somebody: the reckless Life and remarkable Career of Marlon Brando, by Stefan Kanfer, is a more detailed and even-handed work than previous biographies of Brando. For everything we know about Brando as a man as well as an actor and artist, he remains a fascination. What are we to make of someone whose life, both personal and professional, hit such dazzling highs and such abysmal lows? Stefan Kanfer answers this question, in the process giving us the final word on one of the most astonishing talents of the twentieth century.

Make it Plain: Standing up and speaking Out, by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Testifys to the fact that black Americans have always relied on the oral tradition, storytelling, preaching, and speechmaking, to assert their rights and preserve and pass on their history and culture. In the pulpit, courtroom, or cotton field, they have understood the power of words, distinctively delivered, to educate and inspire. Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., one of the nation's finest speakers, imbibed this tradition as a young man and has given it his own unique inflection from his work on the civil rights front lines, to the National Urban League, to positions of influence at the highest level of business and politics.

Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher Finally, is the autobiography in which, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir. In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen. This is Carrie Fisher at her best, revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.

I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching your Dreams, by Parick Henry Hughes, is an inspired sharing of what Patrick considers his greatest gift. He was born with a rare genetic disorder that left him without eyes and physically disabled. But he was also blessed with exceptional musical talent. The inspirational I Am Potential recounts the critical lessons he has learned that are at the heart of his success.

John Lennon: the Life, by Philip Norman, is the most deeply researched and comprehensive biography of Lennon to date. Included are 32 pages of color and black and white photos. This masterly biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at every aspect of Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into a near-secular saint. In three years of research, Norman has turned up an extraordinary amount of new information about even the best-known episodes of Lennon folklore.

Warlord: a life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874- 1945, by Carlo D’ Este, is a brilliant new biography that examines Winston Churchill through the prism of his military service as both a soldier and a warlord: a descendant of Marlborough who, despite never having risen above the rank of lieutenant colonel, came eventually at age sixty-five to direct Britain's military campaigns as prime minister and defeated Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito for the democracies. This is the definitive chronicle of Churchill's crucial role as one of the world's most renowned military leaders moves from his early adventures on the North-West Frontier of colonial India and the Boer War through his extraordinary service in both World Wars.

Jesus: a story of Enlightenment, by Deepak Chopra, creates a re-imagining of another of the world's most important figures. From his unceremonious birth in Bethlehem to his ultimate betrayal in Jerusalem, "Jesus" presents a riveting and soul-stirring account of a remarkable story.

Call Me Ted, by Ted Turner, reveals his lonely childhood, the devastating loss of his father, intimate details of his marriage to Jane Fonda, and his unparalleled success as a businessman and philanthropist.

The Regan I Knew, by William F. Buckley, Jr. offers a reminiscence of the late author’s 30 years of friendship with the man who brought the American conservative movement into the White House. This book presents the most revealing portrait of Ronald Reagan the world is likely to have.